Bright Book

“Every year the saint came to the house. When Ursula was eight she and her brother Anton knelt on the window seat and looked out from the living-room window. The saint's white beard glinted in the torchlight; his tall bishop’s hat nearly touched the lintel and in his fat-fingered hands he clutched the curling golden staff and ancient book. His cheeks were dark like smoked ham, eyes half buried by pudgy lids - burnt currants peeping from an over-risen cake. Breath plumed from his purplish lips. Ursula looked for feet beneath his robes. Was he touching the ground or did he hover just above it?"

I met Holly Müller at a book signing at Waterstones in Cardiff, with no intention of buying a book at all. However, when I got talking to this fabulous lady I knew I had to buy this book. Not only is the cover beautiful, but the premise of the novel is stunning. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout, with a lot of moments where I had to just put it down to think. I'm still not sure I'm okay. 

Set during the course of the Second World War, in Nazi occupied Austria, we follow the Hildesheim family, in particular Ursula. Her brother, Anton, is a member of the Hitler Youth and is increasingly becoming more and more vindictive. Especially as Ursula befriends Schosi Hillier, a boy who is seen to be increasingly more odd than everyone else in the novel. The plot develops as Ursula starts to develop as a young woman, which just shows the strength that it takes to grow up during such a dark period in history. 

What I think Müller does incredibly well is show the Second World War in a new and interesting way. I had never seen a novel written from the other side, where there was a character who was was on the side of the Nazi regime. I had also never really read anything about Austria during the war, as much of the literature written by British historical fiction writers about World War II centres on the British involvement. Instead this focusses on Austria and running throughout the plot line is the involvement of the Russian forces. 

Additionally, I love that the plot of this novel doesn’t let up. It’s pacing could be seen as infuriating at times but this is reasonable in the build up of tension for later scenes. Particularly during part 2 there is a lot of waiting around on the part of Ursula and the farmer Herr Esterbauer, but I found this really important as we get to learn about Schosi's experiences. The two together really increase the tension throughout and there is something so intense about this part that wants you to keep reading and willing on characters.

Ursula is an interesting protagonist. She’s growing up throughout this novel and she can be seen as quite immature towards the start. She’s a known thief and she speaks out of turn, not really knowing or understanding anything that is going on. There is an understanding that something has happened between her and her brother, perhaps nothing sinister but there is a close relationship there, and this isn’t really discussed until the end of the novel when Ursula has grown up a little and knows better. Throughout we discover that Ursula is incredibly strong, and sometime this childish impulse helps her to gain a better understanding of herself and the situations she finds herself in. 

Schosi is also a character I love in this book. He’s, what I assume to be, autistic and is often hidden away by his mother. He’s got a piece of cloth that he winds around his finger when he’s nervous and a stutter and I think he is a beautifully written character. He doesn’t understand an awful lot, and gets scared incredibly easily, and I love that Ursula feels such a close connection to him. He’s incredibly childlike and innocent, thrust into the horror of a war torn state, forced to withstand torturous “treatments” and I think that Müller did an incredibly good job discussing the treatment of the disabled and those with mental illness during the war. 

I think my only qualm would be that the time frames all became a little fuzzy for me. I didn’t really know what time of the year it was, or if we’d even changed year. This made it a little more confusing towards the end as I didn’t know how old our protagonist was, or be able to work out from that the members of her family’s ages. This is often a confusion I have with novels that seem to span years, but there’s no real time specification. 

Overall this novel was a really tense exploration of the Second World War from a new perspective from a very strong and new narrative voice. I think that Holly Müller’s writing style lends itself to the darker side of literature, unafraid to tackle dark issues, whilst remaining an element of classical literature through her descriptions of settings and scenery. This book was a complete success that I would urge anyone with an interest in the genre, or not as the case may be, to give this book a go, despite how terrifyingly daunting its size looks. 

Total pages - 455

Total read time -  Untimed

Rating /10 - 7.5

Recommend - Yes

As part of my Poetry module I have to study a whole range of poetry styles and forms, but in our seminars we follow one rule; No Dead Poets. As I’m sure you’d imagine, we’ve wandered from this once or twice, and I definitely will for my list, but I think that this is something that needs to be discussed. Contemporary poetry isn’t really taught in GCSE literature classes which inevitably leads to young people feeling rather vehemently against poetry. Yet poetry can be so much more than the traditional sonnets or the dark imagery produced by Blake or Coleridge. What I’ve learnt since September is that poetry can genuinely be written about anything. We’ve had so much fun writing poetry within our group at university, coming up with some really beautiful imagery, from the extended metaphor of a bakery talking about marriage equality, and an exceptional rant about feminism to deep and meaningful poetry surrounding bereavements within families, to the absolutely absurd with a brain in a jar on the dining room table. Poetry has so much room for personal expression. Poetry doesn’t even need a form or a structure; half the time it doesn’t even need to make a whole lot of sense, and yet it might just spark someone’s interest. This is why I love poetry. 

Dead Poets - Lets get these out of the way first. These are poets that I love who I know are dead but who I really enjoy reading their work still

Alan Ginsberg - Howl

Jack Kerouac - Daydreams for Ginsberg

Shakespeare - To Be or Not To Be (Hamlet)

Thomas Hardy - Beeny Cliff

Alive Poets

Anis Mojgani

Shake the Dust

John Dorsey - The Bride of Frankenstein 

Rhian Edwards 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAv9qSk0khc

Kate Tempest - Brand New Ancients

Part 1

Part 2

Melissa Lozada-Olivia 

Like Totally Whatever

Bitches

How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse as an 82 Year Old Guatemalan Grandmother

Neil Hilborn

OCD

Kate Rokowski

How To Cure A Feminist

This list is not exclusive obviously! There are so many others that I love but this is a pretty good start for people who want to look into poetry. Many of these are performance poetry which is something that I really love. If there are any others that you think I’d enjoy feel free to leave comments below! Enjoy World Poetry Day!

As a student of creative writing, I take a module in poetry writing. I’m currently working on my second portfolio of work, but I realised that I haven’t really released any work on here for you to read. Some of my favourites I’m unable to put up, because they are currently being considered for an anthology to be released in April, but I have a few that aren’t, that I am still incredibly proud of. These three poems below aren’t following any theme but they reflect different styles of poetry that I am fond of. Stories focusses on relationships and the feelings of new love, University Kitchen focusses on the sounds of words revolving around the washing up situation in university, and The F-Word is an exploration of the overuse of the the swear word. Hopefully you enjoy and please feel free to leave comments or constructive criticisms. 

Stories

We are my current favourite story.

University Kitchen

The clattering of cutlery on half cleaned plates

From breakfast,

Stains like halos linger the undersides of bowls

Whilst water drips

Into empty glasses

Filling them for someone who’s not here yet.

 

I am lost in a mountain of milk bottles,

Searching through seas of uneaten cereal,

And dangerously stacked plates

To find a teaspoon.

The F-word (Not for the faint hearted)

God was that a fucking mistake.

“Don’t answer the door!” barked Dad from the kitchen, the washing-up subs popping on his grimy white vest. 

“Mr Tambo!” a voice boomed from outside. It was deep. I imagined the owner of that tone strutting in the park with a rhino on a leash. “We know you’re in there! Let’s be adult about this, Mr Tambo. Let us in so we can sit down and talk about your repayments. This is not going to go away."

 I breathed in a dose pure fear. Why are we in so much deep debt? Dad’s working. Why won’t he give them he full score on what’s going on? Dad dried his hands on the dishcloth and then draped it over his shoulder. He looked at my older brother, Nesta, who was standing in the hallway only a couple of metres from our drawbridge. Dad beckoned him to retreat. Nesta shook his head. I put my fork down on my plate. Suddenly I didn’t love my pasta and mince even though i had grated some cheese on top to nice it up. The letter box crashed open again. My heart rumbled. 

“Mr Tambo!"

This is the first novel of Alex Wheatle’s that I have read, but I am aware of his novel Liccle Bit that is set in the same universe as this one. And I am so incredibly glad that I am able to dip back into this rich and vibrant world that Wheatle has created with these characters, all of whom I really enjoyed reading about. 

Crongton Knights follows McKay and his friends, Liccle Bit and Jonah, as they take on a mission to get back the phone of Venetia from her ex boyfriend. This mission means heading through North Crong to the dangers of Nortre Dame. On the way to get back this phone and after we learn of a riot in South Crong that endangers the lives of our characters further. 

What I think is so marvellous in Wheatle’s character development is the way in which he gives every one of the main group of characters their own voice, despite their obvious similar dialect, and each has a redeemable quality. The dialogue is also incredibly funny and witty and evokes a sense of place. You can tell that perhaps the boys are not from the good side of town through their use of slang, as well as sometimes being seen as poorly educated compared to some of the other characters. 

What I love most about the protagonist McKay is that he is an overweight young boy who has dreams of becoming a chef. He is stuck in Crongton with few to no prospects at all and has a lot of disruption in his life, particularly within his family. We all root for McKay to make the right decisions throughout the novel and I found myself really rooting for him to get the food he so desperately wants. This seems to be a theme throughout the novel, hunger, but not simply for food. There is a hunger for justice, for calm and peace and this theme links seamlessly with the second theme I found of loss. Everyone in this novel has lost someone, or hungers for something. 

Additionally, Wheatle’s female characters really stood out to me as a female reader. I felt that the two girls, Venetia and Saira, were incredibly strong and therefore impressive. It is mostly to do with their cultural upbringing but both of these girls really prove themselves when it comes to standing up to those who try to belittle them, and they really prove that they are important members of the mission team. However this does not mean they don’t show weakness. Venetia in particular spends a long period of the novel crying which did feel a little overwhelming and yet necessary. She is incredibly sad talking about her losses in the past, and therefore her crying is really the only possible reaction for her to have. 

Overall I thought this book was incredibly enjoyable. I can’t wait to get back into reading some more of Alex Wheatle’s work because I genuinely think that he will become one of my new favourite writers, who inspires some of my own work. I highly suggest that people go and seek out this book, especially anyone with a fascination for the underground London vibe. 

Total pages - 304

Total read time -  Untimed

Rating /10 - 7.5

Recommend - Yes

This book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley but has recently been published. Forgot that I hadn't posted this review yet... oops!

Happy World Book Day! I was tagged by Beth at The Cat’s Out the Bag and I love all of these questions. I want to tag another Beth at Curly and Wordy, and Victoria at TheBookworm88!

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I’ve always been read to from as early as I can remember,  but I think my newest return to reading was when I picked up Tom Rob Smith’s “The Farm” and I binge read the whole thing. It was the first book I’d read since my A Level coursework books and I realised how much I loved reading for myself. 

Where do you usually read?

Usually reading for me takes place in bed. It’s usually when I’m bored with nothing better to do. So whilst i say it’s usually in bed, it’s more than likely you’ll find me curled up on the sofa at home with a cuppa and a book, or even on a coach on the way home from university. The joys of having a kindle means that I don’t have to carry all my books with me!

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?

I always prefer to read one at a time. I feel that way I give every book the attention it deserves. But sometimes you just can’t help it. I’ve got a couple on the go at the moment, re-reading one and starting a new one. I find sometimes I’ll start a book but will put it down because I’m not feeling reading it at that moment in time. It’s just a matter of preference at the time. 

What is your favourite genre?

I am a huge fan of contemporary or YA literature. Fantasy always has an appeal but I always feel that the world lack something in the way of development unless they’re part of a huge series, and as a huge Harry Potter fan I struggle getting into any other kind of fantasy world. Contemporary novels concerning family issues really intrigue me because I’ve always felt incredibly lucky with my family, and I love YA books about growing up and LGBT issues because I love to see how the younger generation are being influenced through their choices of literature. 

Is there a genre that you will not read?

Ooooh here we go. I’m not a fan of paranormal novels or new adult. I find them too cliché and there’s something about them that doesn’t sit too well with me. I also am not a huge fan of definite romances where there’s instal-love scenarios or love triangles. They just irk me and it if I see anything about them in a blurb I will just not want to read on about it. 

Do you have a favourite book?

This is in the same category as picking my favourite disney film or character. I don’t think I can physically choose one. The Harry Potter series will always have a place in my heart, as will the new addition of the "Chaos Walking Trilogy" by Patrick Ness. Benjamin Alire Saenz’s “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”, M R Carey’s “The Girl with All the Gifts” and Virginia Macgregor’s “The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells” are all books that I’ve binge read and fallen in love with for their writing style and the way they’ve made me think about my own life. I simply can’t pick one. 

What is your least favourite book?

I always try and find positives in every book I read. But probably “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen or L.P. Hartley’s “The Go Between”. Both of these are quite classic literary novels and there’s something about being forced to read books in school that makes me hate them quite literally. Both of these books made me feel really angry at their protagonists, had really dull storylines and I think the only think I liked about “The Go Between” was the fact that we could all write about sexual tension. 

What is the longest book you’ve ever read?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 766 pages! But I do own "Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy which is a whopping 964 pages! That’ll be a long read! 

What was the last book you bought?

I bought two the last time I went to buy a book; Ali Smith’s “How to be Both” and “The Loney” by Andrew Michael Hurley. (Actually these aren’t the last books I bought, but the other one is my mum’s mother’s day present so shhhh). The last book I was sent a review copy for was “The Sudden Appearance of Hope” by Claire North. 

Do you prefer library books or buying books?

I love buying books. As much as I love a library, the books can tend to get dogeared, the spines bent, and if I love the sound of a book I won’t mind spending the money on it. Plus I love knowing that I own so many books! 

What are you currently reading?

Re-reading - Douglas Adams’ “The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy"

Making my way through - Garry Apgar's edited book of essays called “A Mickey Mouse Reader” 

Reading - "The Bombs That Brought Us Together" by Brian Conaghan (Due for release April 30th)

Where do you buy your books?

Waterstones or Amazon. But I prefer being able to go to Waterstones and look around at books I may never have searched for online

Do you preorder books?

I think I’ve only ever preordered one book; Patrick Ness’ “The Rest of Us Just Live Here” because it was a limited edition hardback that was signed and it was beautiful in every way. I tend to get a lot of prerelease books so I don’t tend to preorder unless there’s a really good reason for it. 

How many books do you buy a month?

Depends. Usually around 2 or so, depending on how many I’ve been given as a prerelease and how much I want to eat because all the money I spend on books is really for my food at university. 

How do you feel about second hand charity shop books?

I love a good charity shop book. Especially if they’ve got notes in. This sounds really hypocritical because what I love about charity shop books is what I hate about library books. I love that they’re worn in and they could be noted and I love seeing other people’s interpretations of books. 

Do you keep your read and TBR books together?

At the moment no, because the books I have at university are the books I have not read yet. I tend to only bring those with me. Then if I’m reading them I tend to leave that at home if they’re finished. On my Kindle I tend to have them jumbled up. 

Do you plan to read all the books you own?

I’d like to try. A lot of them I have read, but there are some like “Anna Karenina” and “Lolita” which will take a lot of willpower to get through. 

What do you do with the books you know you won’t re-read?

I keep them… which is really bad because I could always donate them. But I love seeing them on my bookshelf. I love being able to look up and see a physical representation of what I’ve read and how much I’ve engaged with novels of a specific author. It’s just a really rewarding thing to see. Plus there are some book covers which are just outstanding. 

Have you ever donated books?

No but I would like to. 

Have you ever been on a book buying ban?

I should probably be on one right now. I have been before when I had over 20 books in my TBR and I’m pretty sure I’m over that number now. But there are so many interesting new releases coming out that all my old books tend to get pushed back further and further and it drives me crazy! 

Do you think you own too many books?

Ha! Is there such a thing?! Too many books! Who would’ve thought it. For an accurate answer ask my bank account or my mother. But for me, there’s no such thing. Books hold a world and wealth of knowledge and interesting ideas about the world and they are a great way to expand your mind and really engage with something new. Reading has helped me through some really dark times. So I’d say there’s no such thing as too many books! 

The whole thing feels like a prank at first, like something they planned - a joke with a punch line. Maybe, before I know it, one of the girls will tell me it’s really a joke and then they get me out of here. 

But then again, maybe not. 

I have a bad, bad feeling about this. I try not to panic. The first thing everyone says to do in emergencies - earthquakes or house fires of if, say, you fall down an abandoned well out in the wasteland behind town - is to stay calm. 

“Stay calm, Kammie” I tell myself. My voice echoes up the dusty shaft to where the girls are, safe on high ground. I kind of think of them as The Girls, with capital letters like that. I think that’s how they think of themselves. 

Karen River’s novel is truly inspiring. It’s not something I would immediately have chosen to pick up but the cover definitely intrigued me and the plot even more so (quick thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this). The way I took to describing it to my friends at university was as a 127 hours-esque plot for children. I wouldn’t say this is a kids book exactly, it definitely reads very well for someone my age and it definitely would relate to someone I think much older. River’s writing style is incredibly engaging and therefore the story really resonates with whomever might choose to pick it up. 

The plot follows Kammie who has moved to Texas and is hoping to make new friends. At the beginning of the novel we aren’t really sure why she’s moved but this is later unfurled in an almost heart wrenching way. Kammie tries to make friends with The Girls, the popular group of Mandy, Kandy and Sandy, and they say that of course she can join, if she passes an initiation, one act of which is the reason Kammie ends up in an abandoned well. 

I really like our narrator Kammie. She’s 11 and moved to a new school and I think that River’s really captured that 11 year old mindset and it really made me think about how when I joined a new school and had to make new friends and it was a really relatable situation that she put our main character in which made us really care about her right from the start. I like how River’s jumps between Kammie’s understanding of her situation and the rational, with the irrational and the imaginative speculative part of the 11 year old mind. It really captures the sort of wondrousness of being a child whilst also being incredibly claustrophobic. 

The setting is pretty much what it says on the tin. Kammie is stuck in a well. She’s fallen into a well and throughout the novel she does slide further and further down into the well and the light above her becomes smaller and smaller. This almost matches her level of hope that she may be rescued. It can also be seen as almost an extended metaphor as, whilst Kammie slides further down, we learn deeper things about her as a character. We learn about why she’s moved to Texas, her relationships with her parents and her brother, and then her relationship with herself and what she thinks of herself. There is a wonderful exploration with this novel about how parents actions can affect a child. It’s not too psychologically charged. In fact it’s quite subtle. But what I think River’s does really well is make us connect so closely with Kammie as a character that when we find out what she has been a victim of, we automatically want what is best for her; ultimately we want her out of the well. 

I would’ve liked The Girls to be a little more well rounded as characters. They have physical flaws described by Kammie but their demeanours seem inherently mean, to the point where they leave her and Kammie believes that they won’t come back. However this could be a stylistic choice on behalf of River’s because Kammie hasn’t really known them very long. I think with this being a “middle-grade” aimed novel, character development away from stereotypical tropes isn’t always necessary but I feel like this would’ve simply added something else to this already enjoyable read. Another thing I would’ve liked a little better explained was her daydreams/hallucinations. As she starts to lose oxygen she begins to see a coyote who can speak french and believes that there are zombie goats beneath her. It was just a little confusing at times as i wasn’t sure if she could actually see these things or if she was just imagining them. 

Overall I think this is a really interesting concept for a novel. It has a very short timeframe with a really engaging narrative voice, good use of time and how the space is used, or lack of it for that matter. I think River’s has created a really enjoyable novel for people of all ages. Pick up “The Girl in the Well is Me” on March 13th. 

Total pages - 224

Total read time -  Untimed

Rating /10 - 6

Recommend - Maybe

I won’t be starting this blog post off with a piece from the book’s beginning because this is book 2 of 3 from Ness’ rather spectacular Chaos Walking trilogy. Some of the things I may mention in this could be seen as spoilers so if you’ve not read the book or are dying to, like I was after finishing The Knife of Never Letting Go, thank you for stopping by but I wouldn’t recommend reading any further. 

As I’ve mentioned already, this book is the second in the trilogy and follows on from Todd and Viola arriving at Haven, the army closing in on them. And boy does Ness just pile on the feelings onto my poor little heart from the very beginning to the end of this novel. The relationship between these two protagonists is tested throughout and the fact that they have been split up despite needing each other so badly is just heart wrenching but such a wonderful plot device. By splitting the two apart we get to see the two different sides to Haven, or New Prentisstown as it becomes, and it also gives us a chance to really get to know these characters on an individual basis. 

What I really liked about this novel in comparison to the first was that Ness changed from having Todd’s singular perspective to the dual narrative of him and Viola. Each chapter reads with a very different voice and the style is very different; Viola’s obviously more educated, reflected in the spelling and structure, whilst Todd is less so and the spelling that I found rather difficult to grasp came back to the second book but was actually a lot easier to get my head around. What I think having the dual narrative really does is show us how dependent the characters are on one another. Frequently we come back to the same questions like where is the other? What are they doing? Are they looking for me? Are they even still alive? I think seeing this really makes it so much sweeter when they are reunited briefly, and so much more heart breaking when they are torn apart. 

I didn’t think it would be possible for Ness to put any more action into this series after the tormenting travels of the first novel, but this holds its own in that department. Sometimes middle books to trilogies can feel like building blocks for a final fight but this novel is no such thing. Yes it provides information that is very important for the final book, which I am desperate to get my hands on when I’ve got some more money, but also it has it’s own story and its own conflicts within which are incredibly complex. Ness’ introduction of the women into society is really interesting to me, seeing as the first book is so heavily male. The new female characters are well rounded and well thought out, Mistress Coyle being a complete badass of a woman who I debate between loving and hating throughout. When I think about some of the actions in this book I can’t help but think of the Suffragettes and their violent response to wanting the vote. There seem to be some similarities between the women of this novel and their rebellion against Mayor, now President, Prentiss and the suffragettes, even if the actions in this novel are bigger and definitely more dangerous. It’s very clever and interesting and you are instantly drawn into the work that these women are doing, whilst also questioning if it is the right way to be going about things; going from being healers and nurses to being rebel activists, verging on terrorism, who set off bombs. 

Mayor Prentiss makes a return in this novel; and he’s still just as terrifying. I think what makes Prentiss such a good villain is the fact that you can almost see what he’s trying to do. It is possible to see how he thinks what he’s doing is a good idea, which then makes you think about if it is a good idea or not. He’s an incredibly complex character who I really like to examine when I’m reading scenes with him in. He can very quickly switch from warm to cold hearted in an instant which makes him unpredictable and therefore definitely more scary than a man like that should be. Also the amount of power and control he has doesn’t help with making him seem less scary. He’s definitely frightening, if only because you realise that people like him do actually exist in the world. 

His actions in this novel however are definitely frightening, especially towards the end where he finally allows Todd to see what happens with their prisoners. Yet even from the start we are wary of him as he convinces Todd that he’s not about to hurt Viola if he does what he wishes. And as Todd works for him throughout the novel we start to see real emotion coming from Mayor Prentiss. He even calls him his son, in front of his actual son Davy. 

Davy is not a character to be left out. I remember being a little frightened of the threat of Davy Prentiss in the first novel of this series, purely because it was his army that were following Todd and Viola and there was always that constant threat of him. Also what happened to Ben in the first book really can’t be forgiven. However throughout The Ask and the Answer, Ness really shows us another side to Davy. He seems to be a character pining after his father’s affection and this is something that I can see being really relatable. Also he doesn’t seem to have any friends of his own age so as the novel progresses and his and Todd’s relationship grows, you really start to get attached to him as a character. Especially when he brings back his mother’s book and tries to apprehend Mayor Prentiss for Viola’s sake. 

The Ask and The Answer is definitely a novel about free will under strict regimes, battling against what you believe to be wrong with underlying tones of rebellion and what happens to those who don’t wish to follow a new structure or order. It’s definitely worth a read if only for the, once again, spectacular cliff hanger that Ness leaves you on for the third and final instalment. 

Total pages - 517

Total read time -  Untimed

Rating /10 - 8

Recommend - Yes